Lacrim

°Chapter 4°

Refreshed she fell into her sheets.

"Alita, are you there?", thought Alex, hoping that her shadow could hear her.

"Of course!", she heard the familiar voice almost immediately.

"So what did you mean before about me being careful?"

"Oh that! I sensed that she was trying to get inside your head. That's why I warned you."

Alex frowned. The girl had to be of the 3rd Type: Soul Skill. People who belong to this category are rather rare, just like those who belong to the 4th type.

"Was she able to do it then?", asked Alex.

"No, thanks to your skill you have a soul wall."

"Meaning none of the 3rd type users can apply their skill on me?", Alex asked with disbelief.

"I wouldn't go that far, but it's a strong barrier that can't be passed by just anyone."

Hearing the word: Barrier, Alex paused for a moment and remembered something she had read in a book.

"The reason why Soul Changier can't see inside the head of another Soul Changier is because the have this barrier. Does that mean I'm a 3rd type too?", she thought. Her skill was definitely not normal, this was clear to her now. Still she didn't know which type her Skill belonged to.

"It's not out of the question. You're taking the test tomorrow, right?"

Madelaine had told her that she would have to take a test in the morning to define her skill. This would decide which class she would be in. Alex nodded, but realized that Alita couldn't see this after all and said yes.

"Then get some rest. After all, everyone need their beauty sleep!"

Alex giggled but quickly felt silent. She had to get used to sharing a room with someone. There weren't many in the dorm yet, but Alex could hear someone snoring.

"Thanks you get your beauty sleep too!", Alex thought and finally closed her eyes.

°°°

Drenched in sweat, Alex woke up. She had had another nightmare. Desperately she tried to calm her heart. With her face contorted in pain and her body trembling, she looked for her pills. But in the darkness she could see nothing. The silence in the room seemed to want to crush her. She knew she shouldn't have come her. She wasn't ready yet.

So Alex waited. Waited until her thoughts went quiet and her chest no longer hurt. Still shivering, she buried herself under the blanket and pulled it up to her chin. She couldn't fall asleep anymore, so she stared at the ceiling until the sun shone through the curtains and colored the room golden. She heard the others slowly waking up. Some remained lying down and others got up and went to the bathroom. Tired, Alex rubbed her eyes and looked around. The girl next to her was tying the laces of her blue sneakers. She seemed to be going for a jog. Alex had never been a big fan of running. But she was aware that her body needed fresh air. So, after brushing her teeth, she pulled on her favorite black jacket over her sleep shirt and headed for the exit, As always, her cap covering her face.

The day before, Madelaine had told her that the school had it's own garden, which was in the back of the building. It didn't take her long and she walked through the tree-lined avenues. The cold wind brushed against her skin and made her shudder. Slowly she breathed in the fresh air and let out a cloud as she exhaled. Calmly, she took one step at a time. After that terrible nigh, Alex enjoyed the peace and quiet. Birds could be heard chirping from far away. After walking long enough, she sat down on a bench and put her head back, so that she looked up in the air. Before she knew it, her tired eyes were closed. But before she could fall into the world of dreams, she shook her head and opened her eyes again. As her hand almost froze off Alex went back into the dormitory, which was now empty. Tired she fell onto the mattress and thought about her plans. She would train with Alita again, before her first day of school tomorrow. She would also meet with Madelaine again, since she still needed her school uniform, school books and schedule. She also had to take the test today. Sighing, Alex sat down in a cross-legged seat and tried to breath in evenly. Relaxing like this was still hard for her, but she still managed after a few tries. When she opened her eyes, she looked into her dark blue eyes. Alita had already been waiting for her. The two immediately started training and in the end, they even had a serious fight, where Alex did excellent. This reminded her just again that she actually didn't know anything about her own skill yet. But surprisingly she didn't mind. Alex wasn't curious and almost wished that her skill wasn't much more than she already knew

Alita and her went over some strategy, as Alita felt that it wasn't just power and strength that mattered, but also thinking strategically and analyzing the enemy. This was very easy for Alex, because since she hadn't had a skill all those years, she had always tried to guess others in order to assess wether she would have a chance in a fight. In the past, she had also done this with her sister. Alex smiled at the thought of her. She missed her, even if she never showed it. And with a melancholy feeling, Alex traveled back to the real world.